Diagnostic aid



Oct. 6, 1942. R. E. HARTMAN 2,298,125

DIAGNOSTIC AID I Filed Dec. 18, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l f1,4 POWER UiNlT j gmc/Wto@ fa fiar/mm w www Oct. 6, 1942. R E HARTMAN 2,298,125

DIAGNOSTIC AID Filed Dc. 1e, 1940y 2 sheets-sheet 2 POWER UNIT INDICATOR Patented Oct. 6, 1942 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DIAGNOSTIC AID Ray Hartman, Tiffin, Ohio, assigner to Jesse G. Miller, Tiffin, Ohio Application December 18, 1940, Serial No. 370,655

(Cl. 12e- 2.1) l

1 Claim.

This invention relates to examination into the physical condition of people.

This invention has utility in exploring trends or activities of life processes, even to disturbed conditions, and the development as relevant of factors contributing theretoward.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view with parts broken away, showing an adaptation for placement of the contacter in position upon the local region of the body of a patient for procedure to be followed from such pick-up as brought to the machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the skin or esh contacting side of the pick-up of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-III, Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale, for the shield and pick-up and circuit completing relation as to its terminals;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic showing with some features of 'a wiring from the contactor rendering available the pick-up from the cont-actor;

Fig.' 5 is a unit terminal contactor in lieu of the double terminal contacter of Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the contactor of Fig. 5, with parts broken away to show the shield terminus as away from flesh contacting position for the unit pick-up terminus; and

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic and partial wire showing of the plural pick-up as adaptable in lieu of the single pick-up of Fig. 1.

In carrying out the invention herein, insulation'base I carries centrally thereof electric conductor terminal plate 2 having stem 3 as mounting means therefor through the insulation plate I. This stem 3 has nut 4 thereon for assembling therewith terminal of conductor 6 to housing 1 having fixture terminal 8 for tube or bulb 9, which in adapting to the dimensions herein is desirably of the miniatureor peanut type and acceptably in some of the practice hereunder may be tube GSK?. This conductor line 6 may have condenser I9 (Fig. 4), say of .004 microfarad, and from thence extend by line II to screen I2 in this bulb 9. From this line 6 there may be resistance I3, say of 2 megohms, as a bridge to complementary plate portion I4 from shield I5 of this unit of two terminal type. There is clearance I6 between the plate portions 2, I4, as the region isolating one from the other for a sensitive pick-up local to the flesh conditions as detectable on patient I'I (Fig. 1). In the bulb 9 (Fig. 4) this screen I2 is opposite plate I8, from which extends line I9.

External source of power may be supplied hereunder, say from power unit 20. At inlet 2| there may be connection say for 110 volt, 60 cycle current. Desirably this power unit of the radio type may be effective through line 22 to heater 23 in the bulb 9 to supply say 6 volt alternating current of 60 cycles. Supplementally, this power unit may through line 24 supply direct current of to 200 volts. These currents have from the ground side of the bulb 9, that is, the shell I5, return connection through conductor 25 and line 26 to the power unit 20. This line V24 has choke coil or resistance 21 to the line I9 from the plate, which line I9 from the plate I8 has therein condenser 28 of say .1 to .25 microfarad capacity for line 29 to extend therefrom to amplifier 30. This line 24 has therein resistance 3|, say of 100,000 ohms, connected to line 32 to grid or screen 33 in the bulb 9 which functions as an accelerator in the pick-up operation of the bulb hereunder. This line 32 has condenser 34 between such line and the ground or housing 35. This condenser may be of say .25 to .1 microfarad capacity. From this line 32 adjacent the fixture in the housing or shield I5 is condenser 36 of .002 microfarad to the ground or shield I5.

There is thus located adjacent the heater 23 in the bulb 9 the control grid I2 adjacent the heater and screen or gridaccelerator 33 on the side of Vthis grid I2 away from the heater 23. Between the plate I8 and this accelerator grid 33 and in the bulb 9 is located suppressor grid 31, from which extends line 38 to a line 39 from indirectly heated cathode 39 adjacent the heater 23. In this fixture adjacent the bulb 9 there is condenser 40 between the line 39 and the ground connection to the shield I5. This may be .002 microfarad capacity. This line 39 in extending into the housing 35 has in such housing 35 resistance 4I of say 500 ohms between such line 39 and the ground 35. Also in parallel with this resistance 4I from the line 39 to the ground 35 is condenser 42 of say .25 to .1 microfarad capacity. The multiple prong tube 9 in the shield I5 is in the electrical detector circuit for the contactor 2. This selection results in disclosure made available through the amplifier 30. This amplifier may, in the hook-up herein, have therefrom wave filter 43 for functioning hereunder in connection to indicator 44. Condenser 42 of .25 to .1 microfarad is from the line 24 to the ground 35 between the conductors 25, 26.

In practice, this indicator may be one selected according to the purpose of the diagnosis sought. The oscillcgraph is appropriate in the wide range of diagnostic work hereunder, as is also the oscilloscope, which devices may be for observation through a window or recording of the response on a sensitive film or plate. In lieu of the oscilloscope, a loud speaker or head set may be used. In this connection, some of the frequencies experienced in human diagnosis do not readily come up into the realm of audibility. Experience has been from the sense of touch by the diagnostician or operator upon a plate from the equipment as herein disclosed in lieu of other type of indicator. These sense responses, Whether to feeling, hearing, or sight, are such that the experience of the diagnostician guides such diagnostician in matters of departure as from previous condition of the patient. There is also development of technique in the character of the sense responses attributal to normal functioning of the patient. In the handling of a series of cases accuracy has been developed from detecting features of identity current with ailments such as epilepsy, and even down the line to such minor ailments as detection of hazard previously to toothache.

With this two terminal shield contactor, placing thereof may be exploratory. The dimensions may in practice vary. A convenient type of the device as used has a diameter of approximately Li1/ inches, with a thickness of say 21/2 inches adequate to house therein the vacuum tube. The diameter may be enlarged even up to 6 inches or more, while reduction as the tube dimension may permit may be clown into the region of toward 2 inches.

In the diagnostic practice, it has been advantageous to select varied independent points of contact for terminals. However, in this practice there is retained the efciency to shield from outside disturbances even as personal to the operator, but primarily as may be more disturbing from electric current transmissions in telephone, power, and accessory equipment incidental thereto. The shield, in association with the close location of the detector tube with the pick-up in the contactor unit herewith, preserves a marvelous degree of accuracy in a simple manner.

For a wider range, the plate 2 (Fig. 6) with insulator back 45 has shield 46 mounted thereon. This shield 45 has service merely as a ground and is adapted for avoiding fiesh contact as to the plate 2. Accordingly, independent placing of the shields 43 at different locations may, according to such location, be of eiicient service. For instance, in the matter of heart action, one location may be for one position on the heart, a second location for a distinctive spaced position on the opposite side of the heart, and say a third location at a remote position on the body of the patient, thereby between such three positions rendering available diagnostic data from the functioning of this human dynamo, notwithstanding that the energy picked up requires conservation and amplification to render practical the working out of helpful information to the extent of developing charts or patterns therefrom.

With this plural set-up, connection may be to housing 4l' (Fig. 7) involving the general structure of the housings 35 and 3i) of Fig. 3. However, in this multiple set-up simplification over a simple or single amplifier 3i) may be had in adopting for the multiple units common resistances 48, 69. There are also interconnection resistances 50, 5 ,y 52, which have placed in series therefrom resistance 53. In lieu of condenser 42 there is condenser 55. From the amplifier, whether or not there be wave filter or supplemental connections, there is purpose in having the range between the separate contactors readily sorted for use, and to such end active lines 55 from the respective contactors may come to selector control housing 56, and there, through switches 51, have such independently cut in for line 58 or line 59 to one or the other side of indicator 60, or in lieu thereof to contact 5I grounding on the housing 56. In this set-up two of these contactors may be connected, one to the line '58, the other to the line 59, and the third contactor to the ground 56. There is accordingly the-inuence beyond that of the single pair of adjacent terminals in the device of Fig. 2. This means that the plural contactors (Fig. 6) may, according to their spacing, develop or, in exploration, work out along lines of helpful detection as to diagnostic values. In this plural contact grouping there has even been developed what seemed to be harmonics in the frequencies found. This spotting or placing of the contactors may be for accentuating or offsetting the different point or points as experienced, with the checking through to determine the placement therefor in diagnostic practice.

In lieu of the switching scheme in the housing 56, there may be phase selection or changing, as well as to variously set up the relations between the supply lines and with the elimination of other indicators, when such is with a multiple terminal type of oscillograph.

In the functioning of the equipment hereunder, it is to be noted that the pick-up from the plate 2, and which is to function as to uctuations or frequencies from the grid I2, has in the circuit to the grid the low condenser lil. This is a material factor in contributing t0 efficient function of this equipment, for the reason that at least on some occasions the patient may have accumulated a condition which is usually called static charge. With a conductor from the body of the patient, this charge, were the condenser if! not interposed, might react against showing in the equipment hereunder appropriate results for diagnostic purposes. This condenser ID of low capacity in association with the high resis" ance i3 is therefore an effective safeguard against any undesirable condition tending to bias the action of the tube S in the functioning hereunder.

Equipment contacting the flesh of patients in practice may have appropriate sanitary care not only as to the equipment proper but as to the portion of the flesh contacted. To this end, there may be a sanitary or disinfecting washing or cleansing of the region to which the device or plate is exposed.

For uniformity in functioning a mode of holding the pick-up device not affected by the operator or the patient, and not varying as to the pressure of the contact, is helpful. Accordingly, a bandage or belt with resilient section may be applied. The pressure should be just a light pressure against ready shifting and not to create any discomfort to the patient.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

For diagnostic aid, an electric energy pick-up device from a patient comprising a fiesh contacting disk, an insulating ring substantially coplanar with and surrounding the disk, an amplier tube extending parallel to the face of the disk, a conductor shield providing a housing having a flat side mounting the disk and ring and inwardly arching upward therefrom to a domed top beyond the tube in thereby locating the axis of the ring approximately perpendicular to the axis of the tube, the disk and ring forming a relatively fiat side for the housing and with the housing completely enclosing the tube, a power unit, additional amplifier means for the pick-up device, an indicator, and a wave filter between the indicator and amplifier means.

RAY E. HARTMAN. 

